20.5.12

DIY: KOUSHI LAMP

You probably recognise this beautiful lamp shade from my previous post, well I fell in love with it, had no idea where it was from and made it my mission to find out!

It's called the Koushi Lamp and it is designed by Photographer Mark Eden Schooley. These beautifully simple lamps are handmade from steel, wire and cotton and come in two sizes: 45x60cm and 75x120cm. The Koushi is available at Artilleriet in Sweden and prices start at 240€.

Slightly out of my budget (and country) I decided I would just make it myself and spotted this great DIY on the modern design trends blog. This tutorial is to make a 35cm x 35cm lamp - a slightly smaller version of the Koushi lamp, but you can alter it to suit what size you prefer.

WHAT YOU NEED:

One roll of approximately 7 meters of Annealed Steel Wire (found at your local hardware store)

1 and a half meters of White Cotton Voile (found at local fabric stores)

Cut roughly three 1 meter lengths of steel wire. Make three seperate hoops by linking each piece of wire in to an oval shape. Connect the two ends by folding the wire into small hooks; pull the wire taught with pliers and cut off excess.

Next, measure and cut four 40cm pieces of wire - these will connect the three hoops. Starting with one 40cm piece, wrap the wire around the lower hoop and work up through the other two. Repeat with the other three until you have created the frame. Refer to the above photograph as you connect the pieces together.

To secure the frame and keep the wires from sliding around, use a 25 mm piece of wire to wrap around each joint. Next, cut 50cm of wire and connect to the top oval to serve as the lamp's handle.

take the meter of cotton voile and sew the fabric around the frame with cotton thread. Connect the fabric along the top oval first; work down to the other two in order to pull the fabric taut around the frame.

Gather the remaining fabric and tie in to a knot. Cut away all excess. Hang the Hemma cord according to IKEA's instuctions (or use an electrician if you don't know how) and be sure to hang the light bulb directly in the centre of the shade.

TIPS:

You could create beautiful clusters if you use various sizes: Experiment with your heights and widths.

IMPORTANT:

Don't try not to make your shade too small as it could be too close to the bulb and become a fire hazard.